The Ford Windstar outperformed eight competing minivans in protecting occupants in crash tests conducted by an insurance group. The Windstar was the only minivan to earn a "good" rating when it hit a barrier at 40 m.p.h., the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported. At the other end of the scale, the poorest performance was turned in by the Pontiac Trans Sport, which suffered a massive collapse of its passenger compartment, the institute reported. ...

A Chicago man who police said was driving drunk and had drugs in his system when he crashed into a minivan on the Eisenhower Expressway and resulted in the death of two women on Sunday was ordered held in lieu of $350,000 bail, officials said. Aaron I. Moore, 26, was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in a death and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs that resulted in a death,...

Q--We bought a 1995 Ford Windstar minivan a year ago and have been very pleased with it. The vehicle was to have a 25-gallon gas tank, but behaves as if it has the 20-gallon tank instead. For instance, the empty warning light goes on after about 17 gallons have been consumed. We asked the dealer to confirm that we have the larger tank. They said we must because it said so on the invoice. But they said there is no other way to tell for sure if we have the 25- or 20-gallon tank because...

By Jeff Long and Mark Shuman, Chicago Tribune and Jeff Long is a Tribune staff reporter. Mark Shuman is a freelance writer | October 9, 2007

A Johnsburg teenager who was fatally injured in a weekend crash in McHenry County was active in her high school student council, loved music and drama and played tennis, her mother said Monday. Judy Yunevich, 14, a freshman at Johnsburg High School, died Sunday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge of injuries suffered when she was thrown from a vehicle that police said failed to yield at an intersection in rural McHenry County. "She just loved people,"...

As Scott Welch, a partner in a Huntley concrete business, shopped a few days ago for a new vehicle to haul his family on vacation, the price of gas was topping $3 a gallon. Welch shrugged off the record gas prices and zeroed in on a Chevrolet Suburban, one of the biggest and thirstiest sport-utility vehicles. Does he really need a Suburban when gas is so expensive and there is a looming threat of shortages, due in large part to the havoc caused by Hurricane Katrina? "You...

Q. My 1997 Cadillac DeVille has 70,000 miles, and one of the rear struts is leaking fluid. My mechanic says it will cost about $1,500 to replace the rear pair due to the electronics involved. I would like to keep this car for several more years as long as there are no other extreme costs. Because we have three small children, I am very concerned about the vehicle's handling, especially in an emergency. This is why I do not think ignoring the problem is a good idea, not to mention...

There is method to the madness of renaming the well-recognized Ford Windstar minivan the Freestar when the redesigned machine comes out this fall as a 2004 model. "All minivans look alike," said Steve Lyons, president of Ford division. To prove his point, Lyons distributed a poster with photos of 12 minivans on it--and all namebadges removed--to the media at the preview of the Chicago Auto Show. Asked to ID each van, the media collectively failed the test. None even came close,...

A cellular telephone allegedly was removed overnight Friday from a briefcase inside a 1995 Ford Windstar in a driveway in the 500 block of Blackhawk Drive. Police said the vehicle was unlocked when the theft occurred.

A late-model Ford Windstar minivan was reported scratched on all body panels Saturday while it was parked in the 700 block of Linden Avenue. Both windshield wiper arms were reported broken. Value of the damage was unknown.

Cameras that see in the dark farther than the human eye are available on cars, and cameras that eliminate blind spots may not be far behind. Concept versions of the Ford Windstar minivan and Taurus sedan shown at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress last week at McCormick Place demonstrated how strategically placed cameras can see things the driver can't. The concepts, dubbed T2S for Telematics to Safety, have six tiny cameras that monitor the front, rear and sides of the vehicle,...

A Motorola cellular telephone, pager, radar detector and purse were stolen from an unlocked 1996 Ford Windstar while it was parked early Sunday evening in a driveway in the 600 block of Saddle Lane, police said.

Q. I have a 1988 Buick Park Avenue that was always garage kept until two years ago. We didn't have a garage at our new home and the car had to be left outside for about one year. The car is a dark metallic blue. The paint now seems to be disappearing. It started on the top of the car and by the back window. Now it is coming off the fenders and the bar between the front and back doors. The car is always washed at home so it is not caused by any carwash. It is an excellent car and I do not...

Police said Monday they were investigating two vehicle fires Friday night in a lot at 2423 N. Kennicott Ave. A 1997 Buick LeSabre was totaled, and the front seat and dashboard were burned on a 1998 Ford Windstar. No injuries were reported, and damage estimates were unavailable, police said.

A 1995 Mercury Villager stolen Thursday night or early Friday from the 4700 block of Arbor Drive was recovered Saturday on the 200 block of South Meacham Road in Schaumburg, police said. The minivan, owned by a local woman, was missing a door and several windows and seats when police recovered it. The vehicle's ignition system had been damaged. Vandals slashed the two rear tires on each of two minivans Friday night or early Saturday on the 4700 block of Arbor Drive. The two...